The Pen is Mightier than the Halberd
What music do you listen to when you write?
Epic scores guide my scenes, kindling intricate, thoughtful, and layered passages. The right soundtrack helps me add urgency to battle scenes and take the quieter scenes slowly and delicately. I tend to prefer instrumental music, as lyrics distract me, and I just end up singing along (terribly). My workspace typically swirls with evocative arrangements from Game of Thrones, Inception, the Grey, Braveheart, House of the Dragon, 13 Hours, Lord of the Rings, and The Last of Us (especially the emotionally-charged Bill and Frank theme). A few years ago, I discovered singer-songwriter Ruelle, thanks to the Toronto Raptors Championship Game Six Hype Video (which still gives me goosebumps). Her hauntingly beautiful songs lend themselves well to the more emotive scenes. Music pushes me out of my “writing comfort zone” and allows me to experiment. Music inspires work that reflects deeply felt, nuanced sentiments. Most of all, music can promote divergent thinking, a keystone of creativity.
If you could write any other genre, what would it be?
As far as exploring other genres as a writer, given that my favorites to read are dystopian and post-apocalyptic, one of these days, I may attempt to write a novel set in a dystopian world. I have a few ideas spinning around, although sometimes, I think we receive enough exposure to dystopian societies in simply witnessing the events unfolding currently in the world. I do love the countless what-if discussions that arise from dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels. And as a high school English teacher, using this genre in my classroom inspires fascinating debates. When we read Divergent, for example, we talked about which faction each of us would choose and why, which makes the reading experience all the more engaging and fun. Moreover, as a twenty-first century author of historical fiction, I see so many parallels between what took place in the past – the oppression, the church and state sanctioned killing of anyone who dared dissent – as having already provided me with the groundwork to write a (hopefully) compelling dystopian novel one day.
Favorite non-reading activity?
My two favorite activities blend together well—travel and physical activity. I’m generally quite active while at home, but when exploring different parts of the world, I go into overdrive. Physical exertion gives me perspective and opens up my mind to so many creative possibilities. My husband and I love hiking and have had the extreme fortune of summiting peaks in New Zealand, Norway, Iceland, Scotland, and Peru, to name few. we spent time in Spain, Costa Rica, and California learning to surf. Visited various mountains around North America to snowboard. Pushing past my edge gives me perspective and opens up my mind to so many creative possibilities. Of course, I also enjoy less extreme activities, like paddleboarding and yoga (which may or may not include baby goats). And, I would be remiss not to include taking my beloved Siberian husky for long walks or romping in the snow with him.
What brings you great joy as a writer?
Discovery—the research process is one of the most rewarding aspects of the historical genre. I love to dig into the past to see what I might unearth, to consult with historians, to travel to various settings of my novels and immerse in the culture (the food most of all!). Also, the hands-on learning component of research brings me great joy—actual experiences add authenticity. For example, In my first novel, I introduce Katrina, a young female protagonist who wants to learn archery. For Kat, finding someone willing to teach a girl the bow in sixteenth-century Malta would prove a challenge. For me, the challenge began once she found that person. I’d need to describe her struggling through lessons and finally mastering the skills—skills I did not possess. As I developed her character, I knew I had to learn archery. So, I signed up for archery lessons and doing so helped me craft scenes that I hope come across as accurate—archery is tough! I also truly enjoy the revision process. It’s my favorite aspect of writing. I love adding color, texture, sensory details, and humor to existing scenes. It comes so much more easily and naturally after the initial grueling phase of writing the story is complete.
What was the inspiration for your most recent book?
In July 2000, I travelled to Malta, my parents’ homeland, for a pre-college vacation. Malta had always been a second home to me, but that particular trip became so much more than sun, sand, and sea. I went to the capital city Valletta to check out the Malta Experience, an audio-visual masterpiece that showcases the island’s incredible seven-thousand-year history. The moment the Great Siege of 1565 played out on the screen, everything changed. Suddenly, the battle I’d heard so much about came to life for me as never before. The Siege tested this little island and its people in ways I could hardly comprehend. It’s an underdog story for the ages. And just like that, the idea to write a novel based on this epic battle took root. Only it turned into a trilogy because there was far too much to pack into a single book.
I wrote The Siege of Malta Trilogy to honor the land of my parents’ birth, to honor their resilience and fortitude and legacy. My father grew up in Malta during its Second Great Siege—when Hitler commanded the Luftwaffe to obliterate the island. My mother was born on D-Day (June 6, 1944) and spent much of her childhood in the difficult aftermath of the Second World War as Malta recovered from the incessant bombing—not so dissimilar from the havoc wreaked by the Ottomans in the Great Siege of 1565. Sadly, my dear dad passed away unexpectedly in May 2024, and the loss still feels very raw. Yet, I will be forever grateful my dad saw the publication of my trilogy, attended my book launches, and even spotted my novels lining shelves in his hometown of Mosta. It lifts my heart to know he loved telling everyone about his “author daughter”. For a few years, the idea to write a prequel to my trilogy has whirled around in my mind. This novel would be an origin story about Augustine Montesa, the father of my main protagonists. And now, as I process grief and learn to navigate this world without my dad, I have felt new inspiration to write this book. My dad was a compassionate, deeply talented man who carried himself with quiet dignity, who gave so much to help others, and who never once bragged about his many accomplishments. He was and remains the inspiration behind Augustine. But unlike Augustine, who could never be named an official knight, my dad was vested into the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the Knights of Malta. And indeed, my dad earned his title of Knight. And that’s all the inspiration I need.
Marthese Fenech is the author of historical novels set in sixteenth-century Europe. She has also written an award-winning pilot episode of a television series based on her Siege of Malta trilogy.
Research has taken her to the ancient streets her characters roamed, the fortresses they defended, the seas they sailed, and the dungeons they escaped. Obstinate curiosity has led her to sixty-five countries across six continents. She does her best plot-weaving while hiking mountain trails, wandering local markets, paddle boarding cliff-sheltered bays, and relaxing at home with her Siberian husky curled at her feet.
The youngest of five, Marthese was born in Toronto to Maltese parents. At twelve, she moved to Malta for six months and was enrolled in an all-girls private school run by nuns; she lasted three days before getting kicked out for talking too much.
A former kickboxing instructor, Marthese snowboards, surfs, scuba-dives, climbs, skydives, throws axes, and practices yoga—which may sometimes include goats. She lives north of Toronto with her brilliant, mathematically-inclined husband and brilliant, musically-inclined dog, known to lead family howl sessions on occasion.
Great interview =—-> and heck yes to archery =—->